FCC’s data shows US broadband connections surged 61 percent in 2006

The FCC broadband data for 2006 is now official, and it shows massive growth …

Despite worries that US broadband speed and availability lag behind that found in other developed countries, broadband growth here continues to surge. Could the options be better? Sure, but with the Federal Communications Commission trumpeting a 61 percent growth rate in 2006, broadband is quickly becoming as ubiquitous as traditional utilities.

The FCC's official 2006 "high-speed services" data has just been released (PDF), and based on reports from operators, the number of broadband lines in the US surged from 51.2 million to 82.5 million last year. The 61 percent growth rate almost doubles the 37 percent increase seen back in 2005.

DSL provides the dominant broadband delivery system in Europe, but here in America, cable modems win out. 54 percent of all broadband lines were offered through cable in 2006, compared to 39 percent over DSL. Not surprisingly, the huge majority of DSL connections were asymmetric; a meager 0.2 percent of all DSL lines featured identical upload and download speeds.

One of the most controversial aspects of the FCC's data collection practices is that a ZIP code is counted as being "served" if even a single resident there can get 200Kbps broadband service. According to that measure, 99 percent of all ZIP codes can get broadband. Things aren't quite as rosy if you dig a bit deeper, but the situation has certainly improved over the last decade. While getting DSL service used to be a dicey proposition even for many urban dwellers, 79 percent of households with a local phone line could get DSL in 2006. When you consider that this includes even the most rural of residents, that's not too shabby.

For cable, things are even better. 96 percent of those who can get a cable line can successfully use a cable modem.

But when you break the two technologies down by ZIP code, it's obvious that rural broadband can use some help. Only 65 percent of all US ZIP codes can can get cable Internet, and only 84 percent of all ZIP codes have any access to DSL. For people in these places, satellite may be the only option—not an ideal solution for anyone who cares about speed, lag, or bandwidth caps.

Despite the problems (and the fact that anything over 200kbps in one direction counts as a high-speed line), the new FCC data shows that broadband is booming. With a 61 percent growth rate and 82.5 million lines served, will we look back on 2006 as the year that broadband really came to the masses and became an indispensable public utility?